Fresh noodles are noodles produced without a drying process. The fresh noodles have a large water content, and hence have a soft but elastic favorable texture peculiar to them and different from that of dry noodles. The fresh noodles are generally produced by, for example, a hand-made method, the rolling noodle-manufacturing method or an extruding noodle-manufacturing method at a low pressure. Since there is no need to perform a drying process for fresh noodles, and in order to give a soft texture peculiar to noodles, the fresh noodles are generally produced without applying a high pressure to noodle dough.
If fresh noodles are produced by the extruding noodle-manufacturing method, it is necessary to apply some pressure to dough in extrusion of the noodles. As a result, the fresh noodles produced by the extruding noodle-manufacturing method attain a smooth surface and a more resilient (koshi) texture. The extruding noodle-manufacturing method is, however, complicated in procedures.
On the other hand, the rolling noodle-manufacturing method is a favorable method because procedures are simpler, while it is applicable to industrial production. Fresh noodles produced by the rolling noodle-manufacturing method have, however, a large water content, and hence have a problem of low preservability. Besides, if the fresh noodles produced by the rolling noodle-manufacturing method are refrigerated or frozen stored, they are easily deteriorated during the storage, and it is difficult to maintain their appearance and texture good. Furthermore, if the fresh noodles produced by the rolling noodle-manufacturing method are refrigerated or frozen stored together with a sauce, the sauce permeates into the noodles during the storage, and hence the noodles become too soft and the quality is degraded.
As a method for preventing quality degradation of frozen noodles during frozen storage, Patent Literature 1 proposes a method for preventing freezer burn of frozen noodles by attaching a coating liquid containing at least water, common salt, oil or fat and a thickener to cooked noodles and freezing the noodles.
Patent Literature 2 describes a method for producing frozen noodles in which boiled noodles are coated with an emulsified oil obtained by mixing and emulsifying water, oil or fat, a protein and/or a hydrolysate thereof, and a polysaccharide thickener; the noodles are formed and frozen so that the frozen noodle mass may have a recessed part at the center thereof; water or an aqueous liquid is attached to the surface of the noodles during or after the freezing; and the resulting noodles are further frozen so as to form a frozen layer of the water or the aqueous liquid on the surface of the noodles.
Patent Literature 3 discloses that a high-oil emulsified oil or fat composition obtained by mixing an emulsifier, a polyhydric alcohol, water and oil or fat under a specific condition is attached to cooked noodles, followed by freezing.
Besides, as a method for preventing quality degradation of a frozen fried food during frozen storage, Patent Literature 4 proposes a method in which a thickener having properties of hardly dissolving in cold water and easily dissolving in hot water is contained in a coating mix. Patent Literature 5 describes a method for producing a frozen food in which a food is frozen after bringing an oil or fat containing an emulsifier into contact with the food.
The above-described conventional methods are, however, methods for preventing drying of noodles during freezing and the resulting quality degradation.